SOUTH BEND, Ind.  – One of the nation's best offenses was on full display on Wednesday night as Western Michigan baseball scored 12 runs on 11 hits to defeat Notre Dame, 12-2 inside Frank Eck Baseball Stadium.

WMU came into Wednesday's contest with the 42nd best batting average in the NCAA, and scored 12 runs on 11 hits against the Fighting Irish. It's the seventh time this season the Broncos have scored double digit runs, posting a 6-1 record in those games.  WMU also posted double digit hits for the 16th time in 29 games.

The Brown & Gold scored nine of their 12 runs in the first two innings of play, scoring four runs in the first, five in the second and two in the third. Seven different Broncos earned a hit on Wednesday night with three earning multi-hit games. The top three hitters in the Bronco line-up went 4-for-12 with six runs scored.  

The Broncos defeated Notre Dame for the first time since 2014 behind the explosive bat of senior Jimmy Roche who went 3-for-4 with a career-high six RBIs. Roche earned five of his six RBIs during the first two innings of play and was a home run away from completing the cycle. It was the seventh multi-hit game of the season for Roche and fourth multi-RBI game.

Sophomore Sean O'Keefe posted his team-high sixth multi-RBI game of the season going 1-for-3 at the plate with three RBIs and one run scored. O'Keefe earned an RBI in the first inning and delivered with a two RBI single to center field in the top of the second.

Senior Nate Grys along with junior Drew Devine also registered RBIs on the night. Grys in two plate appearances went 0-for-2 but scored a run and earned an RBI while also getting hit by a pitch. Devine went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored.

Junior Ethan Hajdukovic rounded out the trio of Broncos to earn multi-hits, registering a 2-for-4 day at the plate with two runs scored. It was the Fremd, Ill., natives second multi-hit game of the year. Sophomore Blake Dunn also extended his reached base streak to a staggering 30 games after going 1-for-4 with two runs scored.

On the mound freshman LHP Drew Szczepaniak picked up his first collegiate victory throwing three innings allowing two runs on eight hits and striking out one. With the win, Szczepaniak moves to 1-2 on the season.

The Bronco bullpen of senior Matt McConnell, junior Tyler Thorington and sophomore Jack Huisman shut down the Fighting Irish offense the final six innings of play allowing no runs on three hits with eight strikeouts. McConnell led the way, matching a career-high with four strikeouts while Thorington sat down six Notre Dame batters.

With the victory the Broncos improve their overall record to 9-20 on the season. WMU resumes Mid-American Conference play at home this weekend, April 12-14 for a three-game series at Robert J. Bobb Stadium at Hyames Field against Northern Illinois.

For the ninth time this season the Broncos got on the board first in the top of the first inning plating four runs on just two hits. After a strikeout to begin the game, WMU loaded the bases after a walk by Devine, a single by Dunn and Grys reaching first on a hit by pitch.

On an 0-2 count, O'Keefe grounded out to short that scored Devine from third and gave the Brown & Gold an early lead. Hajdukovic drew a four-pitch walk to load the bases once again for Jimmy Roche who cleared the bases with a three-RBI double to left center field to propel the Bronco lead to 4-0.

Notre Dame gained a run back in the bottom of the first prior to the WMU offense exploding for five runs on five hits in the top of the second. For the second straight inning the Broncos loaded the bases with one out for Grys who grounded out to third base, allowing senior Andrew Stone to score from third and give WMU a 5-1 lead.

Four pitches later O'Keefe delivered with a two RBI single back up the middle to extend the WMU lead to 7-1. After a single to right field by Hajdukovic, Roche roped a two RBI triple into the right field corner to give the Broncos a 9-1 advantage.
WMU opened up its lead to 11-1 after the top of the third inning thanks to an RBI single by Devine that plated the Broncos' tenth run of the game. Three batters later, Stone crossed home plate once again after a wild pitch to extend WMU's lead to 12-1.

Notre Dame cut into the Bronco lead in the bottom of the fourth scoring on a softly hit ball to the Bronco second baseman that allowed the runner to score from third with no outs. However, the Fighting Irish scoring threat was quickly diminished as the final three batters were sat down with two coming by way of a strikeout.

WMU garnered one more run in the top of the ninth as Roche came through with a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring fellow senior Cooper Marshall from third to secure the 12-2 victory. The Bronco bullpen halted the Fighting Irish offense in the late inning, retiring 10 of the final 13 batters.